Skip to content
Practice route
ChallengingLoop

Fraserburgh · Route 3

Near Fraserburgh test centre

24.5 km
Distance
35 min
Duration
Challenging
Difficulty
19
Manoeuvres
Difficulty: Moderate

Rated moderate from its real manoeuvre load, 3 roundabouts, 20 turns and 2 signalled junctions across 27 navigation steps.

How this route is examined

This is an independent 24.5 km practice loop near Fraserburgh test centre, taking roughly 35 min to drive. It is NOT an official DVSA examiner route, the DVSA does not publish those, but it uses the same local roads and junction types an examiner is likely to choose.

On this route you’ll practise multiple roundabouts, dual-carriageway joins, national-speed roads, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads, independent driving and sustained concentration. Driving it a few times before your test builds the muscle memory that frees up attention for observation and decision-making on the day.

The loop is anchored by 20 catalogued landmarks, including pubs, churches and shops, so you can navigate it from recognisable features rather than a memorised turn list. Rehearsing it in this way means that on test day the area already feels familiar, and your attention is free for the traffic rather than the map.

Whatever the route, your practical test follows the same national shape: an eyesight check, a couple of vehicle-safety questions, around forty minutes of general driving, one reversing manoeuvre chosen by the examiner, and roughly twenty minutes of independent driving following signs or a sat-nav. Practising on roads like these is how you make each of those elements feel routine rather than new.

Treat this route as practice, not a script. The value is not in repeating one fixed sequence but in getting comfortable with the road types, speed changes and junction patterns of the area around Fraserburgh test centre, so that whatever order your examiner chooses on the day, none of it is unfamiliar. Drive it a few times, focus on smooth observation and planning, and it becomes one more stretch of road you already know, which is exactly the kind of preparation that turns nerves into confidence.

If you are practising with a supervising driver rather than an instructor, take it steadily: agree the manoeuvre spots in advance, keep to a comfortable pace, and stop to talk through anything that felt rushed. And remember the basics that apply on every road, mirrors before any change of speed or direction, signals in good time, and a following distance that gives you room to react. Those habits travel with you long after the test is passed.

Manoeuvre breakdown

What you’ll actually do on this loop, counted from its turn-by-turn directions.

14
Left turns
6
Right turns
3
Roundabouts
2
Traffic lights
27
Total steps

Skills & features

8
Roundabouts
6.6 km
Dual carriageway
30, 60 mph
Speed limits
20
Landmarks

This route helps you practise:

  • Multiple roundabouts
  • Dual-carriageway joins
  • National-speed roads
  • Residential manoeuvres
  • Busy A-roads
  • Independent driving
  • Sustained concentration

Road mix

  • Residential 6.8 km
  • Trunk roads 6.6 km
  • B-roads 3.4 km
  • A-roads 3.3 km

Turn-by-turn directions

The full 62-step drive on real, named roads (about 24.5 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.

  1. Depart:

    Drive north on Dalrymple Street/A98.

    Dalrymple Street246 m

  2. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Kirk Brae.

    Kirk Brae30 m

  3. Turn right:

    Turn right to stay on Kirk Brae.

    Kirk Brae40 m

  4. Turn left:

    Turn left to stay on Kirk Brae.

    Kirk Brae39 m

  5. Turn left:

    Turn left to stay on Kirk Brae.

    Kirk Brae20 m

  6. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Broad Street/A98.

    Broad Street386 m

  7. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Victoria Street/B9034.

    Victoria Street113 m

  8. Turn right:

    Turn right onto A90/Saltoun Place. Continue on A90.

    A90305 m

  9. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Mid Street.

    Mid Street119 m

  10. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Broad Street/A98.

    Broad Street312 m

  11. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Victoria Street/B9034.

    Victoria Street113 m

  12. Turn left:

    Turn left onto A90/Saltoun Place.

    A90318 m

  13. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Strichen Road/A981.

    Strichen Road518 m

  14. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Mormond Avenue.

    Mormond Avenue825 m

  15. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Union Grove.

    44 m

  16. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Union Grove.

    Union Grove57 m

  17. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Academy Road.

    Academy Road81 m

  18. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Kent Gardens.

    Kent Gardens78 m

  19. Turn left:

    Turn left to stay on Kent Gardens.

    Kent Gardens63 m

  20. Turn left:

    Turn left to stay on Kent Gardens.

    Kent Gardens254 m

  21. Turn left:

    Turn left to stay on Kent Gardens.

    Kent Gardens63 m

  22. Turn right:

    Turn right to stay on Kent Gardens.

    Kent Gardens78 m

  23. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Academy Road.

    Academy Road81 m

  24. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Union Grove.

    Union Grove57 m

  25. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Union Grove.

    51 m

  26. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Union Grove.

    Union Grove339 m

  27. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Alexandra Terrace.

    Alexandra Terrace458 m

  28. Turn right:

    Turn right onto King Edward Street.

    King Edward Street82 m

  29. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Strichen Road/A981.

    Strichen Road240 m

  30. Turn left:

    Turn left onto A90/Saltoun Place. Continue on A90.

    A90623 m

  31. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Mid Street.

    Mid Street119 m

  32. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Broad Street/A98.

    Broad Street85 m

  33. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Frithside Street.

    Frithside Street247 m

  34. Turn right:

    Turn right onto School Street.

    School Street93 m

  35. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Mid Street.

    Mid Street782 m

  36. Turn left:

    Turn left onto West Road.

    West Road238 m

  37. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Chapelhill Road.

    Chapelhill Road122 m

  38. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Saint Andrews Drive.

    Saint Andrews Drive305 m

  39. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Lochpots Road.

    Lochpots Road74 m

  40. Turn left:

    Turn left onto West Road.

    West Road548 m

  41. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Gallowhill Road.

    Gallowhill Road1.0 km

  42. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Broad Street/A98.

    Broad Street175 m

  43. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Commerce Street.

    Commerce Street61 m

  44. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Dalrymple Street/A98.

    Dalrymple Street92 m

  45. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Station Brae/B9034.

    Station Brae67 m

  46. Turn left:

    Turn left onto Seaforth Street/B9034.

    Seaforth Street42 m

  47. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Victoria Street/B9034.

    Victoria Street113 m

  48. Turn left:

    Turn left onto A90/Saltoun Place. Continue on A90.

    A901.3 km

  49. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit towards Aberdeen/Peterhead.

    46 m

  50. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout towards Aberdeen/Peterhead.

    A904.0 km

  51. Turn right:

    Turn right onto B9032.

    B90322.8 km

  52. Turn right:

    Turn right onto A981.

    A9813.2 km

  53. Roundabout:

    Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Strichen Road/A981.

    87 m

  54. Leave roundabout:

    Exit the roundabout onto Strichen Road/A981.

    Strichen Road1.5 km

  55. Turn left:

    Turn left onto A90/Saltoun Place. Continue on A90.

    A90623 m

  56. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Mid Street.

    Mid Street119 m

  57. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Broad Street/A98.

    Broad Street85 m

  58. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Frithside Street.

    Frithside Street127 m

  59. Turn right:

    Turn right onto A90/Cross Street.

    A9098 m

  60. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Mid Street.

    Mid Street119 m

  61. Turn right:

    Turn right onto Broad Street/A98.

    Broad Street46 m

  62. Arrive:

    You have arrived at your destination.

Directions for the Fraserburgh · Route 3 loop. Always drive to the road and conditions you see, not the list — signs, signals and other traffic take priority.

Local roads & landmarks

These are the real named features along the loop, straight from our route catalogue. Use them to recognise where you are and to anticipate the hazard each one brings, not to memorise a fixed order.

Churches

Useful navigation anchors on the loop.

  • Fraserburgh South Parish Church
  • Fraserburgh United Reformed Church
  • Old Parish Church
  • Our Lady Star of the Sea and St Drostan's
  • Salvation Army - Fraserburgh

Pubs

Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.

  • Balaclava Bar
  • Bellslea Bar
  • Ship Inn
  • Station Hotel

Shops & parades

Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.

  • M&Co
  • Andersons At No.8
  • C&A West
  • C. & J's Corner Shop

Watch out for

  • Multiple roundabouts

    Approach in the correct lane, signal on the exit before yours, and keep checking your mirrors as you leave.

  • Dual-carriageway join

    About 6.6 km of this loop is dual carriageway. Build your speed on the slip road, take an effective rearward observation, and merge without forcing other traffic to brake.

  • National-speed roads

    Parts of this route run at the national speed limit. Keep a safe following distance and plan overtakes only where it is clearly safe and legal.

  • Residential streets

    Narrow residential roads mean parked cars, pedestrians and reduced visibility. Cover the brake, keep your speed down and be ready to give way.

Drive it: landmark by landmark

Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.

  1. Balaclava Bar

    Start near Balaclava Bar.

  2. Bellslea Bar

    Continue to Bellslea Bar.

  3. Fraserburgh South Parish Church

    Continue to Fraserburgh South Parish Church.

  4. Fraserburgh United Reformed Church

    Continue to Fraserburgh United Reformed Church.

  5. M&Co

    Continue to M&Co.

  6. Old Parish Church

    Continue to Old Parish Church.

  7. Ship Inn

    Continue to Ship Inn.

  8. Station Hotel

    Continue to Station Hotel.

  9. Fraserburgh War Memorial

    Continue to Fraserburgh War Memorial.

  10. Lance Corporal Charles Jarvis VC Memorial

    Continue to Lance Corporal Charles Jarvis VC Memorial.

  11. Elizabethan Bar & Lounge

    Continue to Elizabethan Bar & Lounge.

  12. Saltoun Place Fountain

    Continue to Saltoun Place Fountain.

  13. Andersons At No.8

    Continue to Andersons At No.8.

  14. C&A West

    Continue to C&A West.

  15. C. & J's Corner Shop

    Continue to C. & J's Corner Shop.

  16. Kenyan Bar

    Continue to Kenyan Bar.

  17. Nisa Local

    Continue to Nisa Local.

  18. Our Lady Star of the Sea and St Drostan's

    Continue to Our Lady Star of the Sea and St Drostan's.

  19. Salvation Army - Fraserburgh

    Continue to Salvation Army - Fraserburgh.

  20. Dalrymple Hall

    Finish back near Dalrymple Hall, completing the loop.

More routes at Fraserburgh test centre

Route FAQs

This route is 24.5 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Fraserburgh test centre, not an official DVSA route.